Production Background
Originally, it was to have been directed by Arthur Rosson, but he was fired by Paramount Pictures. It was written by Ben Hecht, adapted by Charles Furthman and Robert N. Lee, with titles by George Marion Jr.. It was produced by B.P. Schulberg and Hector Turnbull with cinematography by Bert Glennon and edited by E. Lloyd Sheldon.
Paramount Pictures initially predicted this film to be a failure and therefore released it in only one theater initially in New York. Ben Hecht even asked for his name to be taken off the credits. After strong word-of-mouth, the movie went on to become a hit.
The gangster role played by George Bancroft was modeled on "Terrible" Tommy O'Connor, an Irish-American mobster who gunned down Chicago Police Chief Padraig O'Neil in 1923 but escaped three days before execution and was never apprehended.
Read more about this topic: Underworld (1927 Film)
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